Tor

Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to.

In order to use the WikiLeaks public submission system as detailed above you can download the Tor Browser Bundle, which is a Firefox-like browser available for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux and pre-configured to connect using the anonymising system Tor.

Tails

If you are at high risk and you have the capacity to do so, you can also access the submission system through a secure operating system called Tails. Tails is an operating system launched from a USB stick or a DVD that aim to leaves no traces when the computer is shut down after use and automatically routes your internet traffic through Tor. Tails will require you to have either a USB stick or a DVD at least 4GB big and a laptop or desktop computer.

Tips

Our submission system works hard to preserve your anonymity, but we recommend you also take some of your own precautions. Please review these basic guidelines.

1. Contact us if you have specific problems

If you have a very large submission, or a submission with a complex format, or are a high-risk source, please contact us. In our experience it is always possible to find a custom solution for even the most seemingly difficult situations.

2. What computer to use

If the computer you are uploading from could subsequently be audited in an investigation, consider using a computer that is not easily tied to you. Technical users can also use Tails to help ensure you do not leave any records of your submission on the computer.

3. Do not talk about your submission to others

If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media organisations.

After

1. Do not talk about your submission to others

If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media organisations.

2. Act normal

If you are a high-risk source, avoid saying anything or doing anything after submitting which might promote suspicion. In particular, you should try to stick to your normal routine and behaviour.

3. Remove traces of your submission

If you are a high-risk source and the computer you prepared your submission on, or uploaded it from, could subsequently be audited in an investigation, we recommend that you format and dispose of the computer hard drive and any other storage media you used.

In particular, hard drives retain data after formatting which may be visible to a digital forensics team and flash media (USB sticks, memory cards and SSD drives) retain data even after a secure erasure. If you used flash media to store sensitive data, it is important to destroy the media.

If you do this and are a high-risk source you should make sure there are no traces of the clean-up, since such traces themselves may draw suspicion.

4. If you face legal action

If a legal action is brought against you as a result of your submission, there are organisations that may help you. The Courage Foundation is an international organisation dedicated to the protection of journalistic sources. You can find more details at https://www.couragefound.org.

Submit documents to WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks publishes documents of political or historical importance that are censored or otherwise suppressed. We specialise in strategic global publishing and large archives.

The following is the address of our secure site where you can anonymously upload your documents to WikiLeaks editors. You can only access this submissions system through Tor. (See our Tor tab for more information.) We also advise you to read our tips for sources before submitting.

wlupld3ptjvsgwqw.onion

Copy this address into your Tor browser. Advanced users, if they wish, can also add a further layer of encryption to their submission using our public PGP key.

If you cannot use Tor, or your submission is very large, or you have specific requirements, WikiLeaks provides several alternative methods. Contact us to discuss how to proceed.

The Syria Files

Thursday 5 July 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing the Syria Files – more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012. This extraordinary data set derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those of the Ministries of Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Information, Transport and Culture. At this time Syria is undergoing a violent internal conflict that has killed between 6,000 and 15,000 people in the last 18 months. The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another.

Footage shown on a Syrian pro-Assad TV station shows protestors attacking a US embassy vehicle in Damascus

Today&rsquo;s Top Stories
* US Ambassador to Syria was pelted with tomatoes, trapped in an office, and vehicles of his convoy were seriously damaged.
* At least 17 people were killed in Syria as Rastan continues to resist heavy attacks by Maher&rsquo;s forces.
* A 16-year-old schoolgirl was dumped in an orchard in the Damascus suburb of Douma, after she had been kidnapped, raped, and beaten by Shabbiha militiamen.
Today&rsquo;s Top Videos
* Severe torture marks on the bodies of Syrian detainees in Al-Bayada.
* Severe torture marks on the corpse of fallen hero Yusuf Darwish in Idlib.
* Organs of fallen hero Ahmad Abdo found stolen when his body was handed over to his family in Banyas.
Today&rsquo;s Summary of Events

U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was pelted with tomatoes by Baath Union members in Damascus today as he arrived to a meeting with an opposition figure in Damascus. The Baathists tried to storm the office and broke a few door locks to scare the Ambassador and his guards. Ambassador Ford was trapped in the building for three hours before he could leave safely. This was not before the vehicles of his convoy were seriously damaged by the Baathists who hailed stones and rocks as well as bashed the cars with iron rods. The French Ambassador&rsquo;s convoy was attacked in a similar way less than a week ago.

Afterwards, Ford was defamed on Syrian TV and accused of hitting a child with his vehicle upon departure from the office where his convoy was attacked. The US embassy responded with a wire announcement stating that &ldquo;we have seen reports that the U.S. Ambassador&rsquo;s vehicle hit a child while leaving the scene of an assault by a mob today. There is no truth to that report. The Ambassador&rsquo;s vehicle did not hit anyone. The Ambassador&rsquo;s vehicle was accompanied by Syrian police vehicles throughout the drive back to the embassy.&rdquo;

In the meantime, Maher Assad&rsquo;s Fourth Battalion remains impotent in the face of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Rastan, despite the use of Iranian and Hezbollah&rsquo;s militiamen, snipers, warplanes, and heavy artillery. Syrian forces also used Iranian nerve gas, which left many civilians with partial paralysis, migraines, and partial blindness. At least seventeen deaths have been confirmed today as gunmen on board helicopters opened fire using heavy machineguns targeting any moving object in Rastan. The Khaled Bin Walid regiment of the FSA is still holding ground in Rastan, and has actually been able to drive the latest wave of Assad loyalists back, capturing many armored units, ammunition, and troops. An Iranian sniper was amongst those captured.

The humanitarian conditions in most Syrian cities continue to deteriorate, as medical supplies are scarce, doctors and medics are targeted, water, fuel, and many basic primary supplies are cut off at many besieged areas in the country. The Homs districts of Deir Baalba, Bayada, Khaldiyeh, and Baba Amr are still under siege. The regime is letting police dogs loose on demonstrators in these areas. In Idlib, Assad militiamen kidnapped two girls, and news of the arrival of an Iranian civilian airplane packed with soldiers in a nearby military airbase had been circulating since the early morning.

In the Damascus suburb of Douma, a 16-year-old schoolgirl was dumped in an orchard after she had been kidnapped, raped, and beaten by Shabbiha militiamen. The girl was transported to a hospital where doctors confirmed she was raped with extreme violence. The story fueled the city with massive demonstrations, and caused many defections in the army. Many schoolgirls have been kidnapped all over Syria this past week, some of them even by female security agents.

Demonstrators continued to take to the streets all over the country, fuelled by student demonstrators who have formed a Union against the regime. Security forces continue to open fire indiscriminately at young demonstrators.